Branstad says Iowa may default to federal program

Gov. Terry Branstad says Iowa will continue to work on a state-based health insurance exchange to comply with the federal health care law, but he's leaving open the possibility that the state may default to a federal program.

The Republican governor sent a letter Friday to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius saying the state doesn't have the information needed to decide.

The federal government had set a Friday deadline for states to declare whether they will build their own marketplaces where consumers and small businesses can shop for health insurance. The deadline has since moved to Dec. 14.

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht says the governor wants to avoid a federally run exchange, but unanswered questions about the cost of a state exchange may leave him no choice.

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